(UPBEAT MUSIC) Where are we gonna put all this stuff? Get out of the snack aisle! Gregg Wallace and greengrocer Chris Bavin are back for another mission ` Eureka! (CHILDREN SCREAM) helping families get their food spend under control. That's the biggest food bill... (WHISTLES) I've ever seen. They're taking over kitchens... Oh my God! Ahhhh! What have we done? (LAUGHS) ...to find out where we can spend less. I think it tastes nice. If that's saving money, then bring it on. They'll be delving into popular food and drink... And this one's better looking than my co-presenter. I need another partner. (LAUGHS) ...and giving the great British public their say. I really don't like this one. With budget-busting recipes,... I love the chips. Go, Mummy! Go, Mummy! You've amazed me. A lot of people say that. (LAUGHS) ...will Gregg and Chris prove that you can eat well for less? This isn't as simple as saving money. This is about changing a family's diet for the better. (LAUGHS) Ohhhhh! This week, we're with the Austen family,... Ahhhh! What have we done? (LAUGHS) ...who are massively overspending. That's the biggest weekly food bill I've ever seen. LAUGHS: It's gotta stop. They're obsessed with expensive brands... Two of those. One of those. Big brand after big brand after big brand going in this trolley. ...and are helpless food hoarders. Seven cheeses in the fridge already. Gregg and Chris face a huge challenge... I'm a bit concerned there's not gonna be enough cheese for me. (COUGHS) That is vile! ...getting this family back on track. This is beyond funny, isn't it? If they don't pack it in, they're gonna go bust. Copyright Able 2018 We're in Angmering, West Sussex with the Austen family. And go! (HUNGRY HIPPOS CLACK) Mum Denise and dad Rob... Oh, thank you. ...share their home with their daughter, 22-year-old Emily, and her daughter, 4-year-old Freya. And don't forget Rudy the dog. The Austen household is mad and hectic but really good fun. Lots of love and laughter. Thank you. (LAUGHTER) Having all these ladies in the house, I know my place. (LAUGHS) You're waffling again! Just spit it out! I like waffles. (LAUGHS) He's a big softie. Whoa! Bubbles! And Freya, she's got you wrapped around her little finger. Oh, yeah, definitely. Food is a big part of their life, and Denise likes tog et the whole family together at dinner time. I'm loving the gravy. And we enjoy eating together, don't we, as a family. But there's a problem ` Mum's a food hoarder. We've always got a big stock of cheese crackers. This side will be odds and sods. Go down to the next one... This is quite low at the moment. This is our store cupboard for extra things, just in case we run out. (LAUGHS) With so much stock in the house, food often gets forgotten. I went through one of the cupboards and found all of this out-of-date stuff. Unbelievable. We definitely spend too much money on food. Quite a lot of that fault is mine. I will have to take responsibility for that. You have to, you know, very carefully open the fridge door in case something's gonna fall out and land on you. That's quite a regular occurrence. I don't really wanna open this. It's not good! It's my fault! It's my fault! (BOTH LAUGH) It's... (GROANS) And what's worse ` most are big, expensive brands. Ocean Spray. Tropicana. Hellman's mayonnaise. Bird's Eye fish fingers. John West ` it's all branded. Paul Newman. Tilda rice. Nutella. Green and Black's. I like the things that I like, and you want me not to like the things that I like. (LAUGHS) Come on, then, everyone. Lunch. Something else they disagree on is what's on the menu. Denise cooks a lot of chicken,... (CHUCKLES) which is, yeah` I love chicken. Can't remember the last time I had chicken. Yesterday? It's a standing joke in our house that it's chicken! 'What's for dinner tonight?' 'Chicken!' The family now relies on Rob's engineering salary alone, as Denise recently gave up work to care for elderly relatives. We are massively exceeding our budget. And unfortunately we're going to get to the stage that we won't be able to eat cos we won't be able to afford it. It's out of control. With their income down a third, they need to cut their spending. It's needs reining in ` big time. In the UK, we spend over �100 billion ever year on groceries. But how much are big brands enticing us with clever marketing and pretty packaging? Gregg and Chris head to the Austens' local supermarket to lie in wait for their big shop. I'll tell you something that's strange ` is why do we prioritise aesthetics over flavour on things like fruit and veg? I mean, as long as it does what it should do and tastes the way it should, does it matter how it looks? Well, I wouldn't think just because it looks prettier, it's gonna taste better. It's so easy to get seduced by veg that looks fancy and forget that it's the taste that matters. The fern on the carrots is a classic example. That is made to look pretty so that people spend more money on it. That is not a better carrot. That's just a carrot with a wig on, and that is silly. (CHUCKLES) Denise is a sucker for pretty-looking vegetables. So how will she resist temptation here? Denise and Rob arrive at the superstore, ready for their weekly shop. Where do you wanna start? So, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries. Strawberries, raspberries. Yeah. They're so distracted by the pretty pre-packaged fruit, they haven't noticed two new shop assistants lurking around the supermarket. Grapes. Oh, have they got those really nice ones? Don't know. Sure enough, within minutes, Denise reveals her true colours. They're in fancy packaging, and they have three different sorts of grapes. I can't see them today. She's more interested in the packaging than the grapes. Gregg and Chris retreat to the store room to listen in to the rest of the shop. Right. Let's see what this lot are up to. Going to get my carrots. No, not them ones. Yeah, definitely those ones. Ohhhh. Uh-oh. It's those carrots with expensive hairdo's. They're only 60p against �1.50. But they're worth the extra money. But they're not. They are! You can see Denise is buying just visually. (GASPS) Tomatoes. Tomatoes. There's value ones around there. Yeah, but they're not on the vine. They don't taste nice. Not only are they pre-packaged, not only are they tomatoes on the vine, but they are premium supermarket label as well. That was possibly the most expensive tomato she could've bought. There's no stopping brand-hungry Denise when she's got a trolley to fill. You get this one. Just want two of those. One of those. There's big brand after big brand after big brand goin' in this trolley. Yeah, grab two of those. (GASPS) (BOTH GROAN) Another premium product. Another premium product. Look at the amount of food! Here you are ` cheese. Ooh, cheese! Have you got enough there? Two blocks of cheddar?! Another one? Yeah, one more. Why not? Three blocks of cheddar?! No. We've got a fridge full of cheese. No, we haven't. I've been eating it. Not more cheese. You can't buy more cheese. That's impossible. I'll get one of them. Four packs of cheese! Feed your cheese addiction. This is gonna get expensive. This is gonna fill the trolley up. No! Better get some Somerset brie. More cheese?! Right, I've got some camembert as well. What are they doing with all that cheese? (LAUGHS) How many's that? It's five. Six. Wow. Six packs of cranberry juice. Well, I suppose if you're gonna eat a kilo of cheddar a day, your mouth's gonna get stinky, innit? I think I've seen enough. Shall we go and see these guys? I'm nervous. What happens if they wanna eat me and you? (CHUCKLES) Unable to keep hidden any longer, Chris and Gregg head to the checkout to ambush our unsuspecting cheese addicts. Rob. Oh. Hello. Oh no. We've been watching you shop! Hello, Denise. Hello. How are you? (CHUCKLES) All right, thank you. We've been watching you shop. You enjoy shopping, don't you? Yeah, I do. Yeah. You're quite partial to a brand... or a premium product, aren't you? Yes, definitely. I shop with my eyes. They do look nice. Well, I'm really intrigued to know how much this shop is gonna cost. So shall we`? I'm nervous. I'm nervous of adding it up. Shall we get it rung through? Yes. (LAUGHS) (SCANNER BEEPS) (SCANNER BEEPS) No one would go hungry around your house, would they? No. No one ever goes hungry around my house. (LAUGHS) We're looking forward to going, aren't we? (LAUGHS) I'm doing the cheese in a minute, so you might need to get another bag. How much do you think you just spent? 140. No? 150. (LAUGHS) Flippin' heck! No. (COUGHS) That's the biggest weekly food bill I've ever seen. LAUGHS: It's gotta stop. Denise and Rob have spent nearly two and a half times the national average for a family their size. This is obviously too much money, isn't it? It is too much money. Oh, by far. It's not sustainable. OK. Shall we get it home and have a look at it? Yeah. Come on, you. (LAUGHS) You're gonna be in so much trouble, aren't ya? I can just see it. Gregg: I hope this is nervous laughter. Yeah, it is. I actually feel like crying. (LAUGHS) Mate, we'll help ya. (PLEASANT ACOUSTIC MUSIC) Before the Austens get home, Gregg and Chris take a sneaky look around their kitchen. Here we are. Right, I've got a plan. You do fridge; I'll do cupboard. OK, cool. What secrets are hiding in there? There's a good few brands in there. How many cheeses did they buy earlier? They bought seven. In here, we've got two, four, six, seven cheeses in the fridge already! Somewhere is hiding an enormous 4-foot mouse. Be very careful. They bought jam earlier as well, didn't they? Yeah, definitely bought jam. We've got... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. No. Eight. Eight? And then we just bought another one. If there's going to be a nuclear war, I'm coming here to bunker down. This is... actually beyond funny, isn't it? This is` This is a problem. I... I think this seriously needs addressing. The Austens' shopping is out of control. Gregg and Chris are determined to change their ways for good. This is a first for us. We've never seen a shop that we physically can't fit on one table before. It's a small table. It's a big shop. (LAUGHS) Do you know how much you're spending on food every week? No. I don't wanna know. Well, I've got your receipts here for the last couple of months. And you are spending, on average, �339 a week,... What? which is �17,000 a year. Ouch. That's just crazy. We knew that we were spending more than we could afford to spend. We knew that, and we knew that it wasn't sustainable, but I didn't realise it was quite that bad. Honestly, we've never seen anybody shop like it. That makes me feel really sick. Why? It's just a horrendous amount of money, isn't it, to spend on food. ROB: It's out of control. I feel ashamed, actually ` tearful. (LAUGHS) Do you? Yeah, I do. You all right? Yeah. (LAUGHS) You OK? It is shocking, isn't it? Yeah, really shocking. It is absolutely shocking. The good thing is you have realised it and you have asked for some help and, you know, you're prepared to make the changes. What would that mean to you if you could save some money? It would mean that our shopping would be sustainable. We could eat forever. Have you got a figure in mind that you would like to try and save? Yeah, that's got to come down by at least half, hasn't it? Yeah. What, 160 quid? (EXHALES) Give us a chance. (LAUGHTER) That's one hell of a challenge, boys. We got our work cut out here. (LAUGHTER) I have never, ever seen any family with as much food in their kitchen, I mean, ever. But I don't think you have to get yourself in debt in order to be a decent host. I mean, to stockpile things on an industrial level is a little bit extreme, isn't it? But they're not the only family to believe the more you spend, the better quality you get. But I think these guys take you to a completely different level. If they don't pack it in, they're going to go bust. They're spending nearly �350 a week, which is enormous. I believe that if we really apply ourselves, we can save these guys �120 a week. You can't bring somebody's shopping bill down that much overnight. You can't do it. I think 100 quid is doable. If we roll our sleeves up, we can do this. I'm ready. I'm gonna catch you up. (LAUGHS) While the family were out, we gave their kitchen a bit of a makeover and barred the family from most of the cupboards. We've taken away their usual brands, including Mum's gluten-free options, and replaced them with appropriate alternatives, all disguised in plain packaging. What have they done, Freya? ROB: What? Oh, this doesn't look good. Oh no. What are these things, then? (PACKAGING RUSTLES) Lentils. Nope. Most are cheaper. But to really test their taste buds, some we haven't swapped at all. Yeah. They look the same. Do you think? Yeah, I reckon. The taste will tell. And others are more expensive, because sometimes it is worth spending the extra. Oh, that is not our normal mayonnaise. It doesn't look the right colour. Challenging them to try new foods could save them money off their bill. Do they look like our crackers, Freya? FREYA: Yes. Our crackers look like that. They do look like our crackers. Yeah, they do look like that. That's the food cupboards. Now for the fridge. Yeah, let's have a look. (GASPS) Oohhhh! Oh, we can't go in there! (LAUGHTER) Where's the cheese? No, actually, where is the cheese? Is there any cheese? There's two bars of chocolate! There's no cheese! Cranberry. Do you think that looks like our normal cranberry? No. FREYA: They've eaten all my cheese! ROB: I do. It's nice and clear. Hm, no cheese! Let's buy some more from the shop. (LAUGHS) I don't think we're aloud to. A no-go area. It's like being on a building site. DENISE: Ah, what's that up there? Is that cheese in there? Freya, look! Finally. Wow, we have got some cheese. Oh, your cheese! Look at that! Oh, I'm happy now. Yeah, that's good. It was hiding. That's good ` there's cheddar. I am a bit concerned that there's not gonna be enough cheese for the week. And I'm also concerned that I might not like it. Ahhhh! What have we done? (LAUGHS) Yeah. Yeah! The kitchen at the moment looks like a toxic waste area, as if something hazardous has happened in there and it's all been cordoned off and we can't touch it. All our familiar food is harmful, and we can only eat the safe food that's been plain packaged. Which will hopefully be tasty too. With their food swap experiment underway, Denise prepares a lunchtime spread. Uh, the meats look really nice. She's grating carrots for a salad. They're nice, fresh, juicy carrots. Without the tops. We've swapped Denise's premium 'tops on' carrots for plain ones that cost 93p less. I don't think these are my carrots, but I don't mind. They're nice and fresh. I'm just gonna taste them. (CARROT CRUNCHES) They taste good. Denise is convinced by the carrots. But what will the rest of the family think of the other food swaps? Freya, we're gonna have some cheese. Yeah? We've swapped their usual cheddar for a supermarket-owned brand. But will our cheese-munchers be able to spot the swap? It's the same. It's the same, is it? I wanna keep this cheese. (UTENSIL BANGS) It's not crumbly like` That's it, yeah. ...like mature cheddar. It's smoother, isn't it? Mm. It's nice. This cheddar is �2.76 cheaper, so at the rate they eat cheese, that's a whopping saving of up to a grand a year. Sweet cheeses! Crackers are nice. They're different to our normal ones. They've got plenty of flavour and` I don't think they're our usual crackers. I think they're just in a different pot. I think they're the same. Spot on, Freya. We haven't swapped your crackers. I've liked everything that we've tried so far. The mayonnaise is nice. We've swapped the family's beloved branded mayo for a supermarket variety that's a whole �1.75 cheaper. I don't think it's our usual mayonnaise. Do you think it's our usual mayonnaise? It's sweeter, almost. It's a bit more oily. Yeah. I mean, it's not horrible. I could eat it. I could eat it. They 'mayo' may not go for this swap. But if they do, they could be �91 richer a year. And the Austens aren't the only ones with a strong opinion on one of the nation's favourite condiments. We're on a taste test tour of Britain, and today we're in Bedford with the Oakley Motorcycle Club to road test some different mayonnaises. Usually we get Hellman's Mayonnaise. I think you've gotta pay for quality, and that's what we get with Hellman's. I have tried various supermarket brands. Um, I've never been overly impressed. I'd like to think I could tell the difference between the more expensive mayonnaises and the cheaper versions, but I think you could prove me wrong today. Up for scrutiny are... Kania from Lidl, one of the lowest priced at 75p for 500g; Bramwell's from Aldi, also 75p; Hellman's at �2.11; Sainsbury's, costing �3.26; and Stokes, the most expensive at �4.19 per 500g. Which mayo will get our bikers revved up? First up, the most expensive. That's quite a sharp one. That's a cheaper one, yeah. MAN: It's the vinegary one. That's got the bitter aftertaste. Next, one of the lower priced. That could be Hellman's. That's nice. Hellman's ` not vinegary. WOMAN: That's Hellman's or HEINZ. That is definitely the... So far, so wrong. Next, a supermarket mayo. Tastes artificial. Sour. Not very nice at all. Finally, the brand leader. I like it. Mm. It's good. 'You can tell the difference between that and Hellman's,' she said, as I'm proved completely wrong at the end, I expect. (LAUGHTER) Well, you're about to find out which mayo made our motorbikers go 'mmm'. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is... Lidl! Oh! (LAUGHTER) I was convinced that was Hellman's. There's no way that won. Top of the table is one of the cheapest from Lidl. In second place was brand favourite Hellman's. In third place was another low-priced mayo from Aldi. Coming in fourth was the most expensive offering from Stokes. And finally, Sainsbury's Taste the Difference. I must say a surprise, but then again, I think I was expecting a surprise. The taste is really good. I'd definitely go for Lidl in the future. I'm impressed with that. I was absolutely convinced that was Hellman's mayonnaise, and I'm really surprised. So, yes, maybe I need to eat my words. Back in Angmering, Denise's cranberry juice is next on the food swap list. Her daily carton contains 27 and a half teaspoons of sugar, over twice an adult's daily recommended amount. I like the fact that it's not cloudy, that it's a clear juice. But rather than tasting like cranberry, the thing that I can taste the most is, like, an artificial sweetener. It's the artificial sweetener's taste that I'm really not liking. We've swapped her usual carton for a no-added-sugar alternative that has only 4 teaspoons of sugar. And it's 56p cheaper. I think that I drink a carton a day of cranberry juice, so that's a lot of money. So to reduce the amount that I drink or to have an alternative will have huge cost savings for us. Not only would this swap be healthier ` it would also mean a staggering annual saving of more than �200. And Denise isn't the only one who enjoys sweet drinks. In the UK, 14 and a half billion litres of soft drinks are consumed every year. From fizzy pop and milk shakes to so-called healthy smoothies and fruit juices, all these drinks are packed full of sugar. But is there a hidden cost? Chris has come to Manchester Dental Hospital to meet paediatric dentist Claire Stevens. Hi. Claire? Hi, Chris. Nice to meet you. And you. Welcome. Come through. Thank you. So what we've got here are 10 drinks which you may find when you're doing your weekly shop. First, Claire arranges a selection of soft drinks in order of sugar content per 100ml. These two are in tied first place for the most amount of sugar. Wow. Wow. I'm actually shocked. So the fruit smoothie has as much sugar as the energy drink. That's truly astounding, because I have a little boy who's 2 and a half, and he has had smoothies before. But surely fruit sugars aren't as bad for us as artificial sugars. From a dental perspective, there's still sugars that can be used by the bacteria that we have in all of our mouths to be able to make holes in teeth. The difference between these drinks is that there is a nutritional value with the smoothie. Yes. The sugar content per 100ml is what pops up on the backs of labels. But how much sugar do you take on if you drink the entire can or bottle? Claire now ranks the drinks in order of sugar content per whole packet. The milkshake leaps to first position due to its large packet size. This should come with an alarm, should it? It possibly should. Blimey. The smoothie drops down in the pecking order. With it being a smaller packet, it's a smaller total volume of sugar. And the flavoured water is equal in sugar to both the energy drink and the smoothie. This is what matters, isn't it? Because people actually drink more than 100ml and are more likely to consume the whole thing. But it gets worse. Claire asks Chris to guess how many lumps of sugar there are in each drink. So it's at the top of the chart, isn't it? Seven, I think. I don't know. But that's a lot of sugar, isn't it? I couldn't drink a coffee or a tea with seven sugars in it. No. It's actually even more than that. Is it really? Yeah, it is. No. 11 and a half. 11 and a half cubes of sugar. Sugars. Wow. There are more shocks... (EXHALES SHARPLY) ...as Claire reveals the true sugar content of these popular soft drinks. Wow, this is astonishing. I'm genuinely surprised as to how much sugar everything apart from the water has got. What does this actually do to our teeth? This is a child with baby teeth, and this is decay. Wow. That's terrifying, isn't it? I mean, this is truly shocking. Dental extractions was the most common reason for a child to be admitted to a hospital in England between the ages of 5 to 9 last year. Was it really? Not falling off climbing frames or anything like that? Just... Teeth. Preventable decay in teeth. Wow. I'm assuming the tooth fairy's not gonna pay for any of them, are they? I don't think she should be, no. Can we ever enjoy a fruit juice or a soft drink? It's all about moderation. It's about the number of times that you have sugary things to eat and drink during the day. So if you can cluster these drinks with a meal time, then they will cause less damage to your teeth. Water is the drink for between meals. Well, my son's certainly never having that again. LAUGHS: I'm never getting him near one of those. So it's thumbs up for water. As a dad myself, today really shocked me and will make me think about the drinks I'm giving to my son. The amount of sugar in some of those drinks is incredible, but particularly ones that we perceive as healthier options. It just goes to show you've got to read the label on all food and drink, especially the stuff we're giving to our children. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Back in Sussex, it's lunchtime and jacket potatoes all round. They look like lovely potatoes. They look really appetising. I'm looking forward to eating those. Well, not all of them. (LAUGHS) We'll see what they taste like. We've swapped the Austens' usual spuds for a cheaper variety that cost 79p less per kilo. Potato's quite sweet, but I don't mind it. Do you? No, it's nice. I like the potato. Is it yummy? It's yummy. Yes, it's yummy, Freya. So you wouldn't mind having those if they were... No, no. I'd quite happily eat these. It's a yes for the tatties, but we've also swapped their usual premium-branded tuna. Will they notice? I really like the tuna, and I think it might be our usual brand. I don't think I can taste any difference either, really. And it was really thick chunks like we have, and it wasn't in oil. Yeah. Fooled you, ladies. We've switched your branded tuna for a supermarket line that's 32p cheaper per tin. It's really nice. I think it's our usual tuna. I really like it, so I'm really happy with the tuna. The family eat tuna-mayo jackets once a week, so if they go for these swaps, they could shave more than �150 off their yearly shopping bill. With their recent drop in income, every penny counts. What do you think about these, then? The family continue trialling the new foods,... ROB: We've gotta give 'em a go. ...trying to work out which of their favourite brands have been switched. It's the same. Is it the same? Yeah. Well, that's good, isn't it? Some they like. Delicious. FREYA: All right? This gravy's too yummy. And some they don't. (COUGHS) That is 100% not my wine! That is vile! But the more swaps they keep, the more of a saving they'll make. Apart from the anchovies ` they were terrible ` but the rest of it was really nice. Meal times at the Austens' have become a bit predictable, with chicken served five nights a week. Lovely. Chicken again. Rob would love some red meat for a change, but it can be expensive. Can we enjoy a steak without breaking the bank? When it comes to buying beef, us Brits may be a little stuck in our ways, because we all buy sirloin, fillet and rib eye. But are there other cuts that are cheaper and just as delicious? Well, perhaps it's time for us to push our beefy boundaries. Gregg is in South London with butcher Nathan Mills to learn about cuts of beef we rarely find in our supermarkets. Could you point out for me, please, the prime cuts ` the cuts we usually buy? The prime cuts ` it is, in form of the steaks, you're looking at this section through here. So what we've got is the rib of beef, which you would bone out for a rib eye. Then we've got our sirloin which runs down the backbone here. Through here, you've got your rump. And underneath is your fillet. These prime cuts only represent 15% of the animal. What about the rest of the cow? So are there particular treats that we are missing out on? Yeah. The animal has so many hidden secrets ` your brisket, your shin of beef. Those cuts are good for long, slow cooking. But can Nathan find us a cheaper cut of steak? We're gonna work on the flat iron steak. It's the one that sits right on the shoulder blade here. That's beautiful. Yeah. People really need to open their eyes up and see how much more of the animal there is. To access the flat iron steak, first Nathan must separate the flesh from the shoulder blade. So a lot of butchery's done with your hands. It's not always with the knife. He trims the surrounding fat and creates two flat iron steaks. That is beautiful. It's a good, economical steak. A portion of this at 8 ounces is about 4 quid, as opposed to sirloin steak or rib eye steak at almost �10 each. Less than half the price of a sirloin steak? Yep. Yep. Do you have a favourite value cut? I do. I have` This is my little muscle down here. I call it the pope's eye, but it's also known as the spider steak. Is that its bum? Yes. This is the last muscle where everything exits. Do you think it's a little cheeky? I am a little cheeky, yeah. And out it comes. Most butchers will take it home, because it's absolutely delicious. What's so great about it? Why do you love it? Its depth of flavour; its tenderness; the amount of marbling and everything through it make it so special. These economical cuts of beef aren't generally found in the supermarket. They need to be bought at the butcher's. It seems to me that we think the butcher is only for a special occasion or something posh. It is very true. Our saying is 'a butcher's for life, not just for Christmas'. (LAUGHS) You know? Gregg takes the flat iron and popeseye steaks to meet Dan Shearman. You must be Dan. Hello, Gregg. How are you doing? As a roving chef, he specialises in head-to-tail cooking and will put our unusual cuts to the test. Wahey! Come on, son. Get 'em off. First up, the flat iron steak from the shoulder. These are amazing cuts. They just need to be highlighted, I think. Yum! (STEAK SIZZLES) Oh, mate, look at that. You've cooked that well. Oh mate! Not being shy. Pack that sandwich out! Look at that. And the verdict, Gregg? That is a very, very tender piece of meat. That's as good a steak sandwich as I've ever had. And after a few minutes on the hot plate, the popeseye is also ready. Soft, right? Really tender. Another winner. That is wonderful. That I really, really love. Let's see what the punters think about it. Fancy a steak sandwich? First, the flat iron. What do you reckon? That's really good. Oh God. It's so tender. Very nice. Very good. That's a flat iron ` from the shoulder? Yeah, from the shoulder blade. Yeah. And that's, what, about 3, 4 quid. Oh my God. Next, the lesser-known popeseye steak. I like this one a little bit more, I think. Quite a rich flavour. A little bit fatty. That's nice. That's the cow's bum. OK. Wow. I just ate a cow's bum. (LAUGHTER) It's nice. I wouldn't expect a bum to taste like that. Does that tempt you to go into your butcher and order these? Definitely. Those cuts went down really well. And I'm pretty sure the punters here would agree with Nathan and Dan. It's well worth experimenting with more unusual cuts. I mean, they're most certainly cheaper than most fillet and sirloin. And in my opinion, they taste a lot better as well. Gregg's back in Sussex to share his newfound beefy knowledge with Rob, who's hankering for something that isn't chicken. You and me, we're gonna do some cooking. Oh, sounds great to me, Gregg. Proper pro cooking. Put an apron on. Thank you. I wanna show you something. Do you? Look at this... great biste! Ooh. That is a shin of beef, and that is delicious. I got us that. That's half the price of a steak. The beef shin was �8.50 a kilo, whereas a fillet steak could cost up to �20 a kilo. I'm salivating. (LAUGHS) Me too! No drooling on the beef, lads. What we gonna do with it? We are going to braise it, right ` you'll love this ` for about three or four hours in beer. First job is to chop the celery, carrot, garlic and onion. You see? Look. No posh veg here at all. Basic veg. No. Yeah. But we're showing it some love. And while the onions sweat,... Sizzling. We love a bit of a sizzle. ...Rob coats the shin pieces in flour and seasons with salt and pepper. Bring the meat over, Chef. Next, the meat chunks are browned in the pan. Smoking! Now we're gonna do what chefs call deglaze the pan. We're gonna do it with beer. We're gonna pour it in that pan, and we're gonna get all of those bits that are hiding in that pan into that casserole dish, cos that is flavour. Oh, I can't wait. To capture this flavour, Gregg and Rob deglaze the pan with beer... (INHALES SHARPLY) Wahey! Whoa. That smells good. (BOTH LAUGH) Don't it? Mmm-mmm! ...and pour the liquid into the casserole dish. After one final touch,... Right ` a bit of rosemary, Chef. (SNORTS) Ohhhh! That is`! It's food! That's great, innit? Right, lid on. It's not chicken! LAUGHS: Lid on in the oven. Place the casserole in the oven at 160 Celsius. Good job. I'll see you in four hours for dinner. While the beef slowly cooks, Chris wants to get to the bottom of why Denise is so easily led into buying prettily packaged products. Have you ever thought about the psychology behind it and the fact that you are actually being marketed to every time you're picking up something that looks a certain way? I hadn't really realised it had taken that much effect on me. I was just` I'm just in my shopping zone with my habits, buying the things that I'm attracted to and used to and familiar. Chris has come up with a test which he hopes will change her shopping habits for good. Would you like to have a go at lining the product up with the packaging? Yes. See if we can identify... what belongs to what. Yep. Yep. I'm up for a challenge. Yeah? OK. Chris asks Denise which one of these three different balsamic vinegars she finds most visually appealing. I'd probably go for that one. Would you? Yeah. I think because it does look authentic. It just` I like the look of that one. This one first? Yep. And then the order of the second two? That, that and that. As it is now, yeah? Yeah. Just by looking at them, I think I would go for those. Next, Denise blind tastes the vinegars... That's sweeter. OK. ...and must rank them in order of preference. Which one was nicer? That one. This one's the nicest? Yeah. OK. So if I like this one the nicest and think it's gonna taste the nicest, I'm gonna put that one there. Well, only do what you think. Do what you think. That one with that one. OK. So we're putting this one here and this one here. And then... I'll put the first one there. Do Denise's taste buds agree with her eyes? You identified this vinegar with this bottle, which is correct. OK. And in actual fact, these two ` the other way round. Right. OK. OK? So your least favourite packaging was your most favourite vinegar. (LAUGHS) OK. And your least favourite vinegar was with your most favourite packaging. So what does that tell you, Denise? I need to eat the packaging, not the food. (LAUGHS) It's taught me that I shouldn't shop with my eyes, necessarily. I shouldn't be drawn to the packaging. You can't judge a book by its cover. No, you can't. No, definitely not. That's just proved it. Back in the kitchen, the stew's ready. Oh my word. ROB: That's nice and sticky. Look at that! Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! (WHEEZES, SLURPS) And it's time for dinner. Oh, look at this. This delicious meal costs under �4 a head ` less than a fillet steak and chips dinner. This is definitely not chicken. (LAUGHTER) No, Denise ` for once, it's not chicken tonight. Gregg: Emily, what do you think? You don't get a lot of red meat in here, do you? No. This is really nice. It makes a really nice change. You must be delighted, Rob. You were desperate for a bit of red meat, weren't ya? (SIGHS) This is heaven. (LAUGHTER) Absolute heaven. It's fantastic. The point is ` you don't want that, experiment. Go to different shops. Yeah. Come on. If it's one thing you do like, my friend, it's shopping. That's a vicious rumour. (LAUGHS) It might be vicious, but it's not a rumour. We've got you on film. (LAUGHTER) We're really lucky, cos we have a got a butcher in the village, so I'm definitely gonna go down there and... Yeah, we're gonna give him a visit. Yeah, definitely. Good. The other problem to tackle is the huge stockpile of food. Chris and Gregg have come up with an idea to help. OK, so, what we've got here is a fairly comprehensive list of all the products you've had on stock when we met you. So what we'd like you to do going forward is to use this as a reference point, cos there's no way you could keep on top of all this just in your head, which you did think you did, didn't you, when you went shopping. (LAUGHS) You thought you had all of this in your head. Do you remember? They want Denise to check this chart every time she goes shopping. There were so many duplications on here. And this is just dead money. You know, unless you need it, don't buy it. One of Denise's favourite premium purchases is jam. I'm going to get my raspberry jam! And she's not alone. Over two thirds of us choose to spread this on our toast. (HORSE WHINNIES) Back on the taste test tour, we're at Red Wings Horse Sanctuary in Essex with some hungry horse riders to try and find the nation's favourite strawberry jam. I wouldn't say I was a jam connoisseur, but I would say that I can spot a good jam. I think the cheaper ones might taste less sweet, or the texture might be a little bit different. I would be surprised if I prefer the supermarket brands ` only because when I've had them before, they tend to not be as nice as Hartley's. But I'm open to suggestions. (HORSE WHINNIES LOUDLY) Up for scrutiny are... Asda, the lowest priced at just 6p for 100g; Waitrose at 14p; Sainsbury's costing 44p; popular brand Hartley's at 43p; and at the top end of the market, Fortnam & Mason costing �3.81 per 100g. Which brand will sweeten our horseriders? First up, the lowest priced. I think that's a cheaper brand. Yeah, not very flavoursome. No. It's not very sweet at all. Wasn't very nice. No, didn't like that one. Next, a supermarket brand. I like that. It's nice jam. Sweet. Got good flavour. Yeah, nice. Mmm. Now the most expensive. Ooh. Ooh, no. That's got a real different taste compared to all the others. It feels like it's mixed in with something else. Yeah. Not just strawberry. Finally, a popular brand. It's thicker. Not a fan of that one. It didn't taste as much. It was just sweet, really. So which jam did the girls think hit the spot? Right, girls. I've got the results. And it's Sainsbury's Taste the Difference. (ALL EXCLAIM) It is expensive jam. (LAUGHTER) The Sainsbury's Taste the Difference jam came out on top. In second place was Waitrose. In third place, Hartley's. Coming in fourth was the lowest priced offering from Asda. And finally, Fortnam & Mason. I thought it was a really nice jam, and I thought the winner was well deserved. You could really taste the strawberry, and it wasn't too sweet. I would definitely try some of the supermarket brands. I might branch away from Hartley's now. (UPBEAT MUSIC) But what will Denise think of the plain-packaged jam in her cupboard? I'm looking forward to my raspberry jam. Mmm, it smells good. We've switched her favourite jam for the raspberry version of the taste test winner. At 70p cheaper, will she notice? The jam looks good. It's got a really nice raspberry taste, and it's got all the pips in. It's yummy. I really like it. I don't think it's been swapped. How wrong could I be? Well, quite wrong, because it's definitely not your jam. That's really nice jam. That is good jam. Denise could save more than �36 a year with this swap. Sweet. I really like my jam, and I think that I know my jam, and I think that is my jam. (LAUGHS) It's really not your jam! I really hope that's your jam. (LAUGHTER) But it's not just about individual food swaps. Having explored cheaper meat cuts, the boys are with dietician Lucy Jones to discover another low-cost meal, this time with fish. We are going to do a salmon frittata with some chips. Hold on. If you're using salmon in this frittata, we can't do that and bring it under �2.50, can we? We have used smoke salmon trimmings rather than the poshest bits that you get in the shops. Now, nutritionally, they're totally on a par. Great source of omega 3 fatty acids. They're really good for our hearts and our brains, so it's essential that we get this family eating them at least weekly. First job ` prepare the potatoes. We're gonna make them into, like, wedges. We got any particular preference? Wedges. Just we` Right, that's OK. That's fine. That's good. (LAUGHS) The wedges are added to an oiled pan, seasoned and baked in the oven at 200 degrees for 45 minutes. Do you wanna get cracking some eggs? We're gonna use all six. The key with the broccoli is you need to cut it into thin strips rather than whole florets. Once chopped, add the vegetables to the frying pan. Are you gonna give that a stir for me? Yeah, if you'd like me to. After three minutes, introduce the salmon and egg mix and cook for a further two minutes. Chris, do you wanna pop it in the oven? Yes, Chef. And leave to cook for 10 minutes. Frittatas all done, so I think it's about time we took it out the oven. Gregg: Give it a wobble. Is it solid? Yeah, it's solid. With everything cooked, what do Gregg, Chris and Lucy make of their efforts? Well, that looks very nice, doesn't it? A really quick, easy dinner. Shall we taste? Thank you. After you. Mmm. That frittata is rich and filling. That's delicious. And easy to make, really, aren't they? But has Lucy managed to elate Chris' concerns about the cost? This entire meal for the whole family cost �2.43. No way. Mm-hm. Gregg, did you think that you could make a smoked salmon frittata and potato wedges for �2.43? No. No, I'm` I'm impressed. Would it be sacrilege if we added a bit of ketchup? No. I'll let you off of that. I like ketchup. It's full of lycopene. It's good for you. Oh, I lycopene. Mm. (LAUGHS) As the food swap experiment draws to a close, the Austen family face their biggest food challenge yet. What's for dinner? DENISE: It's a surprise. Really? Yep. (CHUCKLES) On the menu is family favourite shepherd's pie, but we've advised Denise to replace half the lamb mince with red split lentils. I quite like lentils. Rob hates them... with a passion. So this could be interesting. By substituting some of the meat with lentils, Denise will save �1.38 every time she makes this meal. This could be our new economical version of shepherd's pie. That's what I'm hoping. We've just gotta see if it passes the family taste test. Time to find out. Look good? EMILY: It looks really good. Smells good. Let's hope it tastes good. What is it? Shepherd's pie! Will committed carnivore Rob notice there's less meat? Yeah, the meat's a different colour. The... tomatoes are a nice colour. That's really nice. So Emily's sold. But what about Rob? Are you enjoying it? Mm, it's really good. Plenty of flavour. I would definitely have this again. Really? Definitely. This is really good. Time to let him in on the secret. (CHUCKLES) Come on. What's in it? Do you know what's in it, Emily? Lentils? Lentils?! (LAUGHS) They're really good. If I said I was gonna put lentils in a shepherd's pie, what would you have said? (LAUGHS) (CHAIR SQUEAKS) (EXHALES) Are you still OK with it, now you know what's`? I'm` Yeah. Yeah, I am. I'm more than OK with it, cos the flavours are so nice. But I wouldn't have thought that you'd put lentils in a shepherd's pie. It's definitely a way forward. Yeah. I'm glad. A resounding success. If the family have this meal every week, it will save them over �150 a year. Yeah, I was impressed. I still can't believe I ate lentils. (LAUGHS) But, no, it was really good. The Austens have come to the end of their food swap experiment. But have Gregg and Chris achieved their goal of saving them money? Are you excited about going back there? Or are you worried? It's a mixture. I am excited because I think if we get this right, it will be mega. But I'm also a little bit nervous that they might have rejected all the substitutions we've given 'em. They are big buyers of premium brands. Will they be willing to swap? Will they? I mean, there are a few things I wasn't so keen on, but I hope the things that we have changed will be enough to save us some money. (EXHALES) I'm hoping we've saved money. Maybe we have. Even if it's �50 a week, it's gonna be better than what it has been in the past. Do you think we've succeeded? Or do you think it might have gone horribly wrong? I think there's a high chance we might fall flat on our face with this. But if we get it right, I think this could be one of our biggest successes yet. Time to find out. Yes! It's us. DENISE: Well, hello! Hello. Laden with goodies! We've turned your life upside down, I reckon. Yes. And now we need to shake it and see what comes out. Yeah. So how did you get on with your food swaps? We were open minded, I think, about most things. Once you take the frills away from the food, you're left with what the purchase should actually be. Yeah. Just the food. I think we'd all like to be put out of our misery, wouldn't we? Shall we have a look? Come on. Ooh, yes. Time now to reveal what was swapped and what wasn't. First up, cheese. How did you get on with the cheddar that we gave you? It wasn't so strong and didn't leave an aftertaste, and I actually quite enjoyed it. Let's have a look at what you had. Oh right. Would you like to see the difference in the price? Go on, then. (BOTH CHUCKLE) Look at that. Whoa! (COUGHS) DENISE: No. That's a big, big saving. That's almost 3 quid a block. Are we gonna keep that? Definitely. Good! Good, good, good. The cheeseaholic Austens get through two blocks of cheddar a week, so this swap will save them more than �287 a year. So you obviously eat gluten-free crackers, don't you? Yes. So you buy a premium brand? I do, yeah. How did you get on with the ones we gave you? Well, I thought they were really nice, and I thought they were another high-end supermarket brand. Well, let's see if you're right. But you were perfectly happy with them? Yeah. That's quite handy, cos... we, in fact, didn't swap them. (LAUGHS) Are you happy to keep these? Yes. Are you sure? Yes. Very good. Lady Jam of Jammington Hall,... Yes. ...how'd you get on with 'em? It was a really good, high-quality jam. Do you wanna have a look? Yes. Mm-hmmm. I wanna show you the price difference, though. Go on, then. Look at that. ROB: Whoa. That's big. Can you jam another jar into your cupboard? Well, obviously I need to use up what I've got in the cupboard. (GASPS) So I think I` Hang on! Hang on! I wanna take her pulse! Quick! Feel her temperature! (LAUGHS) You wanna do what? I want to use up the jam in the cupbaord. That is what she said! (LAUGHS) Eureka! We're jamming! So I don't think we need to buy any jam for six months. No! (LAUGHS) Brilliant! But when we do, I will be going for that. Yeah, cos you liked it. I did! It was really good. Really good. I'm so happy! Right, good. (LAUGHS) By not buying jam for six months, Denise will save over �57. And after that, our new swapped jam will give her an annual saving of more than �36. You had shepherd's pie one evening, didn't you? We did. How was that? It was delicious. We actually took out half the mince... and replaced it with lentils. There's obviously a saving because, you know, you're using only half the amount of mince meat. And it's a fairly hefty saving of �1.38. Yeah. But it's also a much healthier option as well. Yep. So what do we think? That's definitely a winner. That's brilliant. Well done. If the Austens eat this healthier shepherd's pie once a week, they'll save over �150 a year. How'd you get on with those horrible, ugly carrots we gave you? They were all, like, wonky and misshapen and they had no tops on. They were really nice. They're nice and fresh. They taste good. They're really nice, fresh carrots. So you obviously know that we swapped you're carrots with these horrible, topless, normal carrots. They tastes just like carrots, funnily enough (!) It's crazy. It is crazy (!) (LAUGHS) And you should never really, you know, prejudice against something without much on top ` as far as I'm aware. (LAUGHS) No topless and naked is good. (LAUGHTER) Well, going topless, Denise, will save you �93 a bag, which works out at nearly 50 quid a year. That's a massive saving. It is. It's just nuts, innit? It is. It's just nuts. So...? Yep, we're keeping those. Yeah? Brilliant! I love it. Love it. Well done. There were a few swaps that the family turned down flat. It was vile. (LAUGHS) I wouldn't mind trying some others, but I'm not gonna keep that one. They would not have any room in this house. I'd rather have less of my chocolate. But most were a success. Look at that. Whoa. You're joking. Should we keep 'em? Oh yeah! Definitely! (LAUGHS) 55p cheaper. I'm sold. Would you like to see the difference in price? Yes. Per jar. Oh my goodness me. It's a no-brainer. We've gotta go for it. And what's the saving on a four pack of Mum's swapped cranberry juice? CHRIS: The one we gave you was no added sugar. Yeah, OK. Imagine you saving that. ROB: God, that's a lot. I will swap to that because of the sugar content. These five swaps alone will save them over �580 a year. Yes, Chris, we're keeping that one. You're keeping that? In fact, they decided to keep nearly 90% of the food we gave them. That's good. Excellent savings. Chris and Gregg were desperately trying to save the family �120 a week. The question is ` have they managed it? And when we met you guys, I mean, your spending was out of control. You were spending �339 a week. That's a colossal amount of money. Do you think you may have made a saving? Well, we said we thought we might've saved �50. ROB: Yep. What we've managed to save you... is �159 a week! Whoa. Really? I mean, that's incredible, isn't it? Yeah. (LAUGHS) Over �8000 a year. I can't believe that we're gonna save that much money! It's like winning the lottery. This is the biggest saving we've ever made. There was always worry in the back of the mind whether you've got enough finances for everything. But this has just taken a real burden off and lightened the load. I thought we'd celebrate in style, all right, with a healthier low-sugar cranberry. Here's to saving. Cheers. (LAUGHS) Cheers. All the best. The �159 saving, it's gonna make a real big change to us, isn't it? Yeah, definitely. A real big change to us. Cor, it's a bit sharp, that. I don't like that. Could do with some sugar, couldn't it? (LAUGHTER) Having that amount of saving is gonna mean, going forward, dropping our costs continually, so we should be able to save and take the pressure off you. Yeah. That'd be good. We absolutely smashed it. That's outrageous, innit? That's our biggest one yet, isn't it? That was huge. Mate, and they are delighted. (EXHALES) That's made a huge difference to them. Mate, it would make a huge difference to anybody. (EXHALES) We've set the bar high now, though, haven't we? Yeah, we have. Fancy dinner? Yeah. Isn't it about time you cooked for me? Pizza it is, then. All right, I'll cook again. www.able.co.nz